The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus comprising an improved structure for taking in a disk cartridge.
An optical disk apparatus has an inlet/outlet port formed in the front portion of a housing, and a tray arranged inside the housing and adapted to hold a disk cartridge placed thereon.
Also arranged inside the housing are a turntable for holding an optical disk, a spindle motor for rotating the turntable, an optical head mechanism for executing information processing with reference to the optical disk.
To take a disk cartridge into the optical disk apparatus, the tray is horizontally pulled out from the housing through the inlet/output port. After the disk cartridge is placed, the tray is drawn into the housing. Inside the housing, the tray is made to descend, with its horizontal posture maintained, in such a manner that the optical disk in the cartridge is mounted on the turntable coupled to the spindle motor. After the optical disk is mounted, it is spun in accordance with the rotation of the turntable. In the spinning state, the optical disk is scanned with a beam radiated from an optical head mechanism.
According to the conventional art, the tray holding the disk cartridge thereon and drawn into the housing is made to descend, with its horizontal posture maintained, in such a manner that the optical disk in the disk cartridge engages with the turntable. With this structure, the optical disk apparatus is required to provide an internal space for vertical movement of the disk cartridge, and is therefore inevitably large in size.